Tuesday, May 29, 2012

The Most Wasted of All Days is One Without Laughter

Sorry I've been away for a bit.  Been a little under the weather.  I forgot how much perusing the web for amazing gems as these is a balm for the spirit! Today feels like an aqua and pink kind of day:

 
 
 
 
 

Monday, March 19, 2012

Gluten Free, Vegan Dessert

This turned out to be a delicious, not too sweet dessert & a treat for breakfast when adding more almonds to the mix:

From PCCNaturalMarkets.com

Avec Baking Bosc Pear Almond Spice Crumble


 

 

Ingredients

For the fruit filling

  • 2 tablespoons Avec Baking gluten free all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons cane sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cardamom
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 6 cups peeled, cored and cut Bosc pears (cut to large 1 1/2-inch chunks)
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

For the crumble topping

  • 1/2 cup Avec Baking gluten free all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup cane sugar
  • 1/2 cup gluten-free oats
  • 6 tablespoons butter, room temperature to cold and diced into tablespoon pieces (see notes)
  • Pinch of good sea salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped roasted unsalted almonds (see notes)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375° F and set aside an oven-safe 11x7 baking dish.

To make the fruit filling

Combine flour, sugar, cardamom and cloves in a small bowl and set aside. Combine pears, almond extract, lemon juice, zest and ginger in a large bowl. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the fruit and gently combine so all ingredients are well incorporated. Pour into baking dish.

To make the crumble topping

Place all ingredients, except chopped nuts, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low-medium low until well combined (about 1 to 2 minutes). Add nuts and mix to combine (about 15 to 20 seconds more). If you don't have a stand mixer, combine all ingredients in a large bowl using a fork or your hands.
Sprinkle the topping evenly over the pears, place in oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
Serve with ice cream, whipped cream or on its own.

Notes

You may reserve about 1 tablespoon of the chopped nuts to sprinkle over the top about 10 minutes before the crumble is done — any sooner and they will burn.
Substitution suggestions:
If you want to make this recipe dairy free, substitute the butter for either a butter alternative or coconut oil. Just chill the coconut oil and dice.
If you want to make this recipe without almonds, replace the nuts with an additional 1/2 cup of oats. You also could try substituting in 1/2 cup crushed sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds. Even 1 to 2 tablespoons ground flax would give a nice nutty flavor.
If you are not a ginger or cardamom fan, you can omit the ginger and replace the cardamom for cinnamon.
Not gluten free? Simply substitute all-purpose flour for the gluten-free flour and enjoy.